Open Source Leadership @RajeevPeshawria
Open Source Leadership @RajeevPeshawria
We always thought leadership should be democratic but Rajeev Peshawaria shows through his research that a great leaders should be autocratic.
I wrote long thought piece in 2018 called Organisation 2.0 I will post it soon as it was a good structure of thinking but lacked a reason (which I think I now have). The thesis started from ideas that the gen X and Millennials are thinking differently about assets, policy and values. The are a generation where the gig economy has more alignment than a pension. Rajeev's book starts with identical thinking, which is also echoed in the excellent book by Paul Collier “The Future of Capitalism”
So knowing that there is a substantive change in the views/ opinions about work and what work means - it means that management and leadership have to adopt. The 1980’s MBA is now so far out of date on theory and ideals that it is all but irrelevant - however most top management are still thinking that their tools work ( as they gained their MBA between 1990 to 2010). The change is also deeper as we have moved from products and services to digital and platforms. The change from what is physical to digital means that tools and techniques that were used for the old economic non platform model, even if adopted, will not be relevant.
@RajeevPeshawria opening chapters capture this change and the implications really well. He delves into the unsustainable economic model ( again Paul Collier's book is better on this specific part as he uses data, history and policy to tell the same story)
However - arriving at the same conclusion - we need something different when it comes to leadership.
I am not fully aligned to @RajeevPeshawria thinking on Autocratic is management and see that it is a tool of the CEO to one aspect of a business, rather than a style for an entire organisation. Let me explain. One aspect of a business usually needs attention, 100% use autocratic leadership to sort it ( say Steve Jobs fixation on design) but other styles can be used for other divisions. Yes this looks like split personalities but the new leader is about finding the leadership style per function not organsition ( the same applies to strategy). The old ideals of Gould and Campbell on Strategy and Style organisation wide are gone.
I love @RajeevPeshawria ideas about value and purpose and how balance values and rules. His presentation of Followership vs Leadership is a great way to explore so many issues. Love the thinking that leadership is not when McKinsey can say here is best practice. I first miss-read Followership and Fellowship - and I think that either word works.
If you read nothing else in the book - read the middle section on 80:20 and the level of BS in people's understanding of it - excellent (pages about 171)
The core theme is values and purpose are going to be core again, how this impacts brands. I keep exploring this idea of Trust in Brands and how it will change when users have their own data back as a new economic model.
Rajeev points on KPI and performance measures are spot on - 100% agree. They are broken, lead to the wrong outcomes and as a tool have had their day ( having said that - there are some businesses which have no need for digital, innovation, change and therefore these tools will still work well )
Why read the book - the opening will affirm anyone's views that new thinking is needed, the middle will make you think about why what you have as leadership tools and metrics are broken, the ending gives you some ideas how to ponder on.